4
Saddling Your Llama
The
saddle
is designed to be placed behind the withers and put on tightly. Place the
leading edge of the front cinch along the edge of the hairless area of the armpit. Do not
place the cinch in the armpit as it can cause sores. The front cinch should be as tight
as possible. The back edge of the rear cinch should be placed in front of a male llama’s
penal sheath, or in front of a female llama’s udder. Angle the rear cinch adjustment
strap to come off the back corner of the saddle to take advantage of the natural slope of
the abdomen. The rear cinch should be very snug. If the saddle moves forward onto
the withers, the rear cinch is not tight enough and the saddle should be remounted to
prevent the front cinch from entering the armpit area.
The
cinches
provide comfort for the llama and stability for the saddle. The cinch rings
should be at an equal distance from the saddle on each side of the llama. The front
cinch rings should be located behind and above the armpit of the llama. The rear cinch
ring should be exposed to your sight and fairly close to the saddle. If the cinch ring
touches the saddle and the saddle is not tight, you will need to get shorter cinches. If
you have cinches of two different lengths, the shorter cinch will usually be placed in the
rear position. The cinch connector strap is designed to keep the rear cinch from sliding
too far back. It can be adjusted after the two cinches are tightened.
The
chest plate is an option
and is only needed if stringing two or more llamas
together. The chest plate keeps the trailing llama from pulling the saddle too far back
on the leading llama. Place the chest plate according to the diagram below and adjust
the straps so the llama can still graze in comfort. It should be loose enough to slip your
hand between it and the llama.
Familiarize yourself with the parts of the saddle. Put the saddle in front on you with left
side facing you. Note: the string along loop is on the back of the saddle and the longer
cinch is in the front.
1. Disconnect the two side release buckles on the chest plate from the left side of the
saddle.
2. Pinch the two side release buckles on the left side of the saddle and release the
cinches.
3. Press the cam buckle to allow a lot of slack in the cinch adjustment strap. This
makes it easier to fit to the llama on the first try.
4. Place the front edge of the saddle at the rear edge of the llama’s wither. See below.